As open educational resources (OER) grow in popularity, school leaders are tasked with identifying the best way to find, organize and use these resources.
But that process can be overwhelming, to say the least. As a result, many education leaders rely on best practices and success stories from other districts to guide the process.
During a CoSN webinar focused on using effective OER use, a panel of educators shared their experiences and offered insight on OER’s impact on education. Here, we’ve gathered their responses to critical questions on OER use and implementation.
1. How does shifting to digital resources change teaching and learning?
“It changes it dramatically,” said Andrew Marcinek, chief information officer at Worcester Academy. “I think the entire shift in pedagogy is something we’re looking at here, in ways in which we incorporate project-based learning, competency-based models and blended models.” Once those models and philosophies are established, the next step is to shift to the digital resources that support those models, he said.
“This is also a reexamination of what a teacher is in a classroom. More of a facilitator of learning. OER really allow for that to happen, and also allow students to explore more resources that are relevant and at their levels,” Marcinek said.
(Next page: Four more important OER questions)
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland's prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Latest posts by Laura Ascione (see all) - Children learn best on paper: We need better technology, not less of it - July 13, 2026
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